


to be loved (and to be in love)

by nct127



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Married Life, Parenthood, Slice of Life, Surrogacy, if u squint theres markhyuck dotae and kunten, jeno ultimate dilf, noren r married and in love and have a cute lil family, r o u n d r e n j u n
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-03
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27360808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nct127/pseuds/nct127
Summary: Jeno finally turned his head, looking down at the other side of the bed. There laid his husband, peacefully sleeping, despite their cat sleeping on his chest. His features seemed to intensify in delicacy as he slept. His eyelashes fanned out against his skin, nearly laying against his much fuller cheeks. “Baby weight,” he’d always explain.-aka jeno and renjun live in domestic bliss
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno
Comments: 15
Kudos: 226





	to be loved (and to be in love)

**Author's Note:**

> *shaikginn nllike scaredchihuahua* pleplelaseep......benice.....plea,see........*peesself*

White.

That’s all Jeno could see with squinted eyes and blurred vision. Sleep had yet to leave his system, leaving him drowsy and unaware of his surroundings. That was until he had felt something wet drag along the skin of his hand.

Letting out a soft groan, he finally forced himself to sit up, allowing himself some time to breathe before attempting to open his eyes. One blink, two blinks, the room became less blurry, though the sharp light coming through the windows left him slightly disoriented. Finally, looking over his side of the bed, he found the large Samoyed that had been the cause of his awakening.

“G’morning, Min.” He groaned out, using the back of his hand (Not the hand that Moomin had licked, of course) to rub the remaining sleep from his eyes. The dog panted happily at his owner’s acknowledgment, allowing himself to stand and rest his upper body against the mattress. Jeno let out a soft laugh, petting the dog’s soft white coat. “I’m up; you’ve woke me up.” He reassured the animal.

Jeno finally turned his head, looking down at the other side of the bed. There laid his husband, peacefully sleeping, completely uninterrupted, despite their cat sleeping on his chest. His features seemed to intensify in delicacy as the boy slept. Renjun had been growing out his hair slightly, and it had been making it known with how it stuck up in different directions. His lips were parted ever so slightly, and he knew Renjun would complain about how dry they were when he woke up. He always did. His eyelashes fanned out prettily against his skin, nearly laying against his much fuller cheeks. “Baby weight,” he’d always explain, despite not actually being pregnant.

With a soft sigh, Jeno finally pushed himself out of bed. Although the urge to lean over and caress or kiss Renjun had been strong, he hadn’t wanted to wake the man. He hadn’t been sleeping well recently, too caught up with the stress of their new addition to the family coming home soon.

Moomin, their samoyed, had been happy with Jeno’s decision to remove himself from bed finally, Happily skipping out the door and making sure Jeno had been following him. “Give me a couple of minutes, baby. Then we can go out.” Although happy, Moomin didn’t bark. He simply just panted happily, his tongue awkwardly flopping out the side of his mouth.

After quickly washing his face and brushing his teeth, he changed into a pair of running clothes, quickly shoving all his necessities into a bag that slung across his chest. Moomin had known the routine, and his tail wagged as he watched Jeno finally tie the laces of his running shoes before grabbing his harness and leash. “You ready?” Jeno spoke, though he already knew the answer, and had knelt to put the harness on the large dog.

Before leaving, he wrote a quick note to Renjun, letting him know that he was going on his usual run. He knew that Renjun wouldn’t be awake for another hour or so and that if he did wake up, he’d know where Jeno was. But Jeno left it still. Just in case.

Jeno did a few stretches in their front yard, taking in the bright sun and the sounds of their neighborhood. Spring had just sprung, and the weather had been getting warmer. Jeno much appreciated that, preferring to sweat than to possibly slip on a patch of ice and be sent to the hospital with a possibly broken tibia and a frantic Renjun. Not that he had experienced that himself (Renjun forced him to be bedridden for a week after and only reluctantly let him go back on his daily runs after that, despite not having broken anything.)

He started with a light jog, passing by a couple of their neighbor’s homes. A couple of them had been out, whether on their way to work or enjoying their coffee out on the porch. He said good morning, and they said good morning back. Some tried to prolong the conversation, asking how the baby was doing or asking when she was due again. Jeno would quickly respond with a “She’s doing great!” and “Not until May. We’ve still got a couple of months.”

His jog quickened as he passed through the local park, just a couple of blocks away from his and Renjun’s home. There had been a few others going for a jog, and Jeno found a couple of groups spread out along the grass, either doing yoga or meditating. The playground remained mostly empty, not many parents up for taking their energetic children to the park just yet.

By the time he made his way around the park, a thin layer of sweat had coated his skin, and Jeno had to reach up to wipe away the sweat that gathered at his hairline. Renjun had bought him a hairband to run with last Christmas, insisting that Jeno had needed one. He always complained about sweat and hair getting in his eyes.

He ran for a little longer, making his way past a couple of more homes, then a couple of local shops. He and Moomin stopped once or twice along the way, allowing Moomin to relieve himself and for Jeno to catch his breath and wipe away some more sweat, as well as gulping down some water.

Finally, Jeno called it quits, looking down at his watch and seeing that about an hour had passed. Renjun would be awake soon, and Jeno had always tried to return home before then. But there had been one more stop he needed to make before walking back.

He only needed to walk about five minutes before pausing in front of a small cafe and tying Moomin’s leash to a pole outside. There had been a bowl laid out for dogs, and Jeno was quick to fill it up with water from his bottle. “I’ll be back in just a minute, alright?” Moomin didn’t pay him any mind, too preoccupied with lapping at the bowl of water.

The familiar scent of coffee grounds with just the smallest hint of cinnamon hit Jeno as he walked into the café. Jeno assumed it had been from the pastries the owner made every morning.

“Jeno!” He heard his name called, and when he whipped his head aside, he saw Donghyuck’s familiar face grinning at him from behind the counter. “The usual?”

Jeno grinned at the boy’s bright demeanor, walking towards the counter before nodding. “Make the drinks iced this time. It’s getting too hot for hot drinks,” He spoke, glancing over the small display case that showcased all the pastries they had leftover from the morning rush. “Wait, shit, you actually have apple turnovers left over? Can I get two of those also?”

Donghyuck hummed out an “Mhm” as he typed in a couple of things into the cash register. “I just went on a run, and I’m throwing it out on an apple turnover.” Jeno sighed, unzipping the bag snug against his chest and pulling out his wallet.

“Oh, shut up. You’ll be fine. The old ladies on 73rd will still be on DILF watch for you, even if you break for one of Taeyong’s turnovers. Which, by the way, are totally worth throwing away a workout for.” Donghyuck spoke, taking the card Jeno had taken out of his wallet.

“I’m not a dilf, I’m not a dad yet,” Jeno spoke, signing the screen once Donghyuck had inserted his card.

“You have a daughter on the way. You’re a dilf.” Donghyuck sternly said back, handing back Jeno’s card.

“And who’s the one that basically told the whole neighborhood that Renjun and I were going to have a daughter?” Jeno bit back, though there had been no real venom behind his words. He couldn’t say the same for Renjun, though, who had been pissed at Donghyuck for weeks when the news had gotten out.

“I told one person! I can’t help that this neighborhood likes to gossip, and the cutest gay couple around is finally having a kid!” Donghyuck spoke, preparing the two usual drinks that came with Jeno’s orders.

“You better hope Renjun lets me invite you to the baby shower,” Jeno replied, though he looked out the large glass window just to check on Moomin. A couple of kids passed by, petting Moomin’s head gently before walking away.

“Renjun loves you. And who do you love? Me. What does Renjun want you to be? Happy. Therefore he’s for sure gonna invite me to make you happy.” Donghyuck popped the lids onto the drinks, placing them diagonally in a drink holder. “But on a serious note, please make sure you invite me. Yes, because I wanna be there and celebrate your baby or whatever, but also Mark?? He’s gonna be there, right? I haven’t seen him since that barbecue you guys held last summer, and I’ve been dying to talk to him. You have your own happy little gay life. Help me live out mine!” Donghyuck dramatically said, grabbing a pair of tongs and slipping the two pastries into a paper bag and handing them to Jeno.

“I’ll talk to him about it. But no promises.” Jeno picked up the tray as well as the paper bag. “Mark’s Instagram is Mlee99, by the way. Knock yourself out. I’ll see you tomorrow; you owe me two croissants!”

“But tomorrow is Thursday! Taeyong doesn’t make croissants on Thursdays!”

“Sounds like a you problem! Can’t wait for those croissants!”

Jeno was quick to untie Moomin’s leash, and they began the walk back home. The route home had been different from his route from his earlier run. He passed by new homes, new people, new shops. He even passed by the ladies on 73rd, who as Donghyuck said, were on dilf watch. Jeno crossed the street, so they didn’t see him.

It took about half an hour to finally return home, and Moomin was just as excited to get out of his harness as he was to put it on. He ran inside the home as soon as the harness was taken off, and Jeno laughed softly as Moomin greeted their cat happily. She had moved from her spot on Renjun’s chest, now sitting herself down on the grey couch that had been in their living room. Although the two got along and sometimes even cuddled, Moomin’s energy could be far too much for her little body.

Jeno took the treats from his run and walked up the stairs to where their bedroom was. A few of the lights had been turned on, and Jeno knew that had meant Renjun had woken up. He tended to forget to turn off the lights and often made Jeno get out of bed to do it. Jeno grew to simply check all the rooms of their home before bed to make sure all the lights were out.

“Babe?” Jeno called out.

“In here!” The voice came from their bedroom. Jeno walked towards it.

The door was wide open, and Jeno couldn’t help his grin as soon as he saw the figure of the other boy.

He had been running a towel through his hair, doing his best to dry it. His legs were bare, and his upper half had only covered one of Jeno’s older shirts, and it had been just short enough to see the bright blue boxer briefs Renjun had on underneath.

Renjun finally emerged from the towel, looking up at Jeno with a soft laugh at Jeno’s expression.

“What? Is there something wrong?”

Jeno simply shook his head, walking to the older boy and pressing a soft kiss upon his lips. “Good morning.”

The shorter boy grinned, putting his hands on Jeno’s shoulders and pulling him into one more short kiss. “Good morning to you too. Now, hand over my coffee.”

Jeno laughed, finally placing down the drink tray on top of their dresser. He pulled out one of the drinks, handing it to Renjun along with one of the paper straws Donghyuck had provided.

They could’ve easily made their own coffee, considering Renjun’s older brother Kun and his husband Ten graciously gifted them a fancy coffee machine for their wedding. But coffee from Taeyong’s cafe had quickly become a part of their morning routine when they had moved into the neighborhood a little over a year ago.

“And I think you’ll be happy to see these,” Jeno said, opening up the paper bag and showing off its contents to Renjun.

“No way,” Renjun gasped, snatching the paper bag from Jeno and reaching inside. “He still had some leftover? And two?” He pulled one of the pastries out of the bag and immediately sunk his teeth into it. He moaned as soon as the sweet apple filling hit his tongue. He then shoved the pastry in Jeno’s face for him to have a bite. Jeno did.

“We’ll be having croissants tomorrow, too,” Jeno spoke, his mouth full.

“I thought Taeyong didn’t make croissants on Thursdays?”

“I pulled some strings.”

“Did you threaten Donghyuck?” Renjun asked, and Jeno simply took a sip of the drink he ordered. Renjun grinned, tilting his head up to press a kiss against Jeno’s cheek. “It’s sexy when you do that. You should do that more.”

Renjun took another bite of the pastry before putting it back in the paper bag. “But you smell. And that’s not sexy. We don’t want Yerim to think we’re animals who don’t bathe, and then her thinking we won’t bathe our baby. You smell like sweat and man.” Renjun scrunched up his nose.

“You’ve got an hour to get ready. We’re meeting her at the office at 11 for the ultrasound. I think we’re gonna go to the hardware store and pick up some paint samples right after. I wanna start painting the nursery so we can start building the furniture in there.”

“You mean you can’t wait for me to build the furniture?” Jeno spoke, removing his bag and throwing it onto the bed for now. He’d deal with it later.

“Okay, yes, but I think we both established that you were the arms of this relationship when we moved into our first apartment together. I’ll do all the painting, at least.”

Jeno simply sighed, shaking his head. “I do this for our daughter, not you.”

“No, I think you do it for me, too.” Renjun grinned, pushing Jeno away with his foot. “Now go shower! I need to finish getting ready. I’ll be nice and save you one of the turnovers.” He said, grabbing the paper bag and his drink before sitting down on his side of the bed.

-

Renjun and Yerim had decided on white.

The color by itself had been boring. But the two had gone back and forth on their decisions for colors. Blue and pink had been off the table immediately, not wanting to engrave gender roles into the brain of Renjun and Jeno’s future child immediately after birth.

Their next options had been green, yellow, and white. None of the greens seemed right, all of them slightly reminiscent of puke. (Which they both knew Renjun and Jeno would see a lot of soon enough,)This quickly cut down their options to yellow and white.

Renjun and Yerim had been big fans of the pale yellow they had found called sunshine. It wasn’t obnoxiously bright but provided enough color for the nursery not to seem incredibly dull and boring.

They were almost set on the color till Jeno chimed in with a “Doesn’t it look like piss?”

Renjun gave Yerim permission to smack the back of his head.

The white was nice, though. Nicer than they had anticipated. It wasn’t a stark white, rather a slightly creamier color that still brightened up the room nicely. Renjun figured he could make the walls appear less boring by painting a couple of colorful flowers along the walls, perhaps even inviting one of his college friends, Chaeyoung, over to help out. The nursery would be colorful enough that it wouldn’t be too dull, but not to the extent where it gave them headaches whenever they walked in—a happy medium.

Of course, Renjun made Jeno get to work on building a couple of furniture items they had already purchased. A crib, so they could place all the plushies that they had already received. For obvious reasons, they’d take them out once their daughter arrived. And a dresser, so they could start folding and putting away a couple of clothing items they had bought.

The baby shower hadn’t happened yet, but people in their neighborhood had already spoiled their daughter: toys, clothing, gift cards, and more. Renjun and Jeno almost considered not even having a baby shower, but after much contemplation, they finally decided on hosting one. Instead of asking for gifts for their daughter, they asked their guests to consider donating to Yerim or gifting her things to help her during her postpartum journey. The two more so wanted to celebrate the arrival of their daughter and help Yerim out as much as possible. It was the least they felt like they could do to thank her for all that she had done for them.

That didn’t stop the ridiculous amount of gifts they received for the baby, though, once the baby shower did happen.

They hosted the baby shower at their house, and neighbors came and left. Taeyong had graciously catered the entire event, making sure everyone at least tried a couple of his pastries he had prepared.

Just as requested, many of the guests had also brought things for Yerim. She sobbed at the kindness of Renjun and Jeno’s neighbors, and Renjun couldn’t help but join in on the sob fest while trying to help her calm down.

Jeno and Renjun spent weeks writing out thank you cards for everyone who attended and everyone who had given them gifts. Renjun was particularly enthusiastic about writing a thank you to Ten, who had knitted the cutest little cardigan for their daughter. It’d be a couple of months before she’d be able to fit into it, but Renjun couldn’t help but imagine her in the tiny grey sweater with bear ears sewn to the top of the hood.

-

Baby girl had wanted them to wait longer than anticipated.

Yerim was supposed to be due towards the end of May. Renjun and Jeno had prepared everything already, anticipating the call from Yerim pretty much every day starting mid-May that today was the day. They were disappointed with each day that passed.

Yerim’s midwife explained it hadn’t been much to worry about, and if need be, they’ll break Yerim’s water after the first week of June if she still hadn’t gone into labor by then.

It was hard to do much of anything as the days passed. Both Jeno and Renjun had been anxious, worried about both the safety of their daughter and Yerim. Her midwife could explain that both of them would be fine, but the two couldn’t help but worry.

It took much convincing from their friends and even Yerim for them to decide that they would be going to Donghyuck’s birthday dinner.

“It’ll probably be your last time going out with your friends without carrying around a diaper bag. Go enjoy yourselves!” She messaged the group chat earlier on that day. “You know I’ll call you guys if anything happened.”

Jeno and Renjun tried to listen to her advice, doing their best to enjoy themselves and celebrate Donghyuck’s birthday.

It was a small get together with a couple of their friends. Donghyuck hadn’t wanted to do much for his birthday this year, insisting that his party years were coming to an end. That wouldn’t stop him from getting shitfaced at baby showers. Jeno and Renjun knew that from experience.

They ordered a bottle of wine for the table, and the two soon to be parents had strictly refused to even have a sip. Donghyuck rolled his eyes.

“Live a little! Get drunk one last time before you gotta start changing diapers all the time. Boo, who knew being parents would make you guys boring.”

Mark jabbed him in the ribs. “Shut up,” He hissed. “Ignore him.” He said to the two.

“I always try to,” Renjun bit back, stabbing his fork into a piece of meat on his plate.

The two did manage to loosen up just slightly as dinner went on. Mark told them stories from Canada, Jaemin updated them on the new shelter he had been working at, Jisung spoke about how frustrating his finals had been.

A couple of waiters had brought out a cake, singing Happy Birthday to Donghyuck. The tipsy birthday boy enjoyed the attention he was receiving, standing up and singing the song again to himself before blowing out the candles. A couple of droplets of wax had fallen into the white icing as a result.

The couple shared a slice of the sickeningly sweet dessert, talking amongst their friends about the topic at hand when Jeno’s phone rang out loud.

Most of the time, Jeno would shove his hand into the pocket and hang up the call without looking at the caller ID. He hated using his phone at the table. But the circumstances were different, knowing it could be Yerim or her midwife calling to tell them it was finally time.

And Jeno was right. As soon as he pulled out his phone, Yerim’s contact stared up at him, and he stood up before he could answer the call.

“We gotta go,” He told Renjun, who looked up at him in confusion. His eyes widened once Jeno spoke, and he quickly grabbed his belongings.

-

Jeno and Renjun had been pushed out of the restaurant by their friends. They insisted that they’d cover their share of the bill and that they should just go and have their baby. The couple didn’t need any convincing.

Their daughter hadn’t arrived for another six hours after they had arrived at the hospital. Jeno had quickly dropped by their home, picking up a change of clothes for the two of them as well as their hospital bag. He called Jaemin to come over and watch over the pets.

As the time got closer, Jeno and Renjun had once more discussed with Yerim the plan. They, of course, had wanted to be there for the birth of their daughter, but they hadn’t wanted to make Yerim’s uncomfortable. They would be seeing her at one of her most vulnerable moments and understood it if Yerim would want them to leave the room.

But as Yerim had decided earlier on, she insisted that it was okay if they stayed in the room with her. She didn’t want them to miss out on the birth of their child.

Jeno and Renjun stood on either side of the bed, holding Yerim’s hands when the time came. They still looked away, focusing their vision on her as she pushed. They reassured her, telling her she had been doing great. They only finally looked when the baby’s cries had been made loud and clear in the hospital room.

Renjun had sobbed so hard. He nearly couldn’t compose himself to cut the umbilical cord alongside Jeno.

Jeno had done his fair share of crying too. The second that he had held their daughter, tears instantly began streaming down his face.

He was well aware that he was going to be a father. From all the preparations they had done around the house to being on the Dilf Watch line up. Jeno thought he was ready, but holding their daughter made everything so real. In a day or so, they would be able to take her home. Renjun and Jeno would begin their new lives as parents.

“She’s so small,” Jeno sniffled, looking down at the sleeping bundle in his arms. Her features resembled Yerim’s. Her nose was tiny, her lips even tinier. She had a small mole on the side of the bridge of her nose, and her cheeks were unbelievably squishy already.

“Everything is small to you. You’re built like the fucking Hulk,” Yerim spoke from the hospital bed, which sent Renjun into a fit of laughter.

-

Coming back home with a daughter felt weird. Of course, they were over the moon about it, but after years of being together, they were used to it just being the two of them in the car. Now they had a newborn in the backseat.

The first person to meet their daughter had been Jaemin.

He had been pet sitting for the two while they were in the hospital and was there to open the door for the couple when they had finally arrived back home.

Jaemin had immediately fawned over the newborn in Renjun’s arms, cooing at her.

“Give me! Let me hold!” Jaemin whined in his sickeningly sweet baby voice, making grabby hands at the small baby.

“Did you-”

“Yes, I put Moomin in your room, and that devil of a cat in your bathroom like you had asked.”

Renjun turned his body away from Jaemin. “Now I don’t want you to hold my baby because you called my angel baby the devil.”

Jaemin did end up getting to hold their daughter. He cooed at her and continued to use the baby voice that made both Renjun and Jeno want to throw up sometimes. He spoke to her about being the best uncle and also the best godfather (With a glance up at Jeno and Renjun so they could catch the hint. Not like he hadn’t already sent them a 20 slide PowerPoint on why he should be the godfather.)

He did end up leaving shortly after, wanting to give the new parents some space to adjust to their new home life. Jaemin also knew the pets had anxiously been waiting to meet their owners again.

Their cat, Ninny, had been the first of the animals to meet the new addition to their family.

She had been confused, cautiously stepping towards the newborn and immediately stepping back whenever she made any sudden movement or noise. Ninny’s eyes were wide, curious, but also terrified at whatever her owners had brought home. She’d warm up to the baby. Renjun knew it.

They put her back in the bathroom so they could bring out Moomin next. He had been excited to see Jeno enter the room, especially considering Jeno came in with his harness and leash.

Unlike Ninny, Moomin had been far too excited. Perhaps a little too excited, and Jeno and Renjun were glad they had decided to put on his harness and leash just in case they needed to pull him back.

He panted happily as they walked into the living room, excited to see Renjun home as well, but also the tiny thing in Renjun’s arms.

Jeno only had to pull back on the harness slightly whenever Moomin got a little too close for comfort, trying to sniff at their newborn’s head. Renjun had to block Moomin’s tongue when he excitedly tried to lick at their daughter’s face.

All things considered, their animals had done a great job meeting their baby for the first time.

Later that night, Jaemin posted the hundreds of pictures he had taken and bragged about being a godfather. Jeno commented that they still hadn’t decided on one.

The couple decided to be alone for a few days. They allowed themselves to adjust to their lives as new parents before allowing anyone else to meet their daughter.

No amount of books or parenting classes could prepare them for the real thing: Restless nights, diapers full of poop, endless vomiting, and wails that seemed to last an eternity. Renjun hadn’t showered in three days, Jeno’s shirt was covered in stains, and neither of them had shaved since their night out.

It had all become part of their new normal and daily routine.

Neighbors came and dropped off homemade meals on their porch, and Renjun and Jeno had never felt happier to eat bland casseroles in their entire lives. Their dinners had mostly consisted of ramen and cereal, too tired to whip up anything else.

But after a week or so, the two finally began adjusting to their new life. Changing their fussy baby’s diapers became less of a hassle. They figured out a schedule that worked well with their daughter. They finally began making their own food again. Jeno and Renjun were able to take well-deserved showers. So they figured it was only time that they finally let people come over and meet their daughter for the first time.

Family came first, of course. Kun and Ten, alongside their children, came over as soon as they could. Kun and Ten fawned over the baby while their children asked a multitude of questions. Their son wondered if their baby would be able to swim in time for his birthday pool party in a couple of weeks. Their daughter asked if she could braid her hair. Renjun and Jeno’s baby only had a tuft of hair.

Jeno’s older sister, Sooyoung, came soon after. She had been a friend of Yerim’s and had been the one to introduce them to each other. “My best friend has a baby, then gives that baby to my brother, and you make me wait over a week to see her.” Sooyoung scoffed, holding the newborn in her arms.

Renjun’s younger brother, Chenle, then came and towed Jisung along. “We’re a package deal,” He explained, though he didn’t need to. Wherever Chenle went, Jisung went, and vice versa. Their entire friend group had come to realize that soon after the two met for the first time. Jisung had been terrified of holding the baby, almost completely refusing to do so. “She’s so small. I’m gonna hurt her by accident,” He whined. He kept his arms crossed against his chest when Chenle offered to hand her over to him. “You’ll be fine, Sungie.” Renjun pulled his arms away, leading him to sit down on the couch. “I’ll help you, alright?” Jisung was still terrified but more open to the idea of holding her with Renjun by his side, positioning his arms so he could hold her properly.

A couple of more family members had come and left. Some they had been excited to see, others they hadn’t (They simply invited them to not cause any family tensions.)

It was then time for their friends to come and meet the baby.

Donghyuck and Mark came first, for obvious reasons. Those reasons being that Jeno and Renjun already hadn’t been able to hear the end of it because Jaemin and Jisung had met their daughter first. He even was slightly petty about Chenle meeting her first, despite being her actual uncle.

Mark, much like Jisung, had been incredibly awkward holding the baby. He had needed guidance from the three of them to make sure he was holding her correctly. Jeno could see the fear in Renjun’s eyes whenever Mark held her. It felt like a panic attack waiting to happen.

Donghyuck had been more like Jaemin, happily taking the newborn into his arms and cooing at her affectionately. “We need one,” He spoke, looking over at Mark. Mark laughed nervously before asking if Donghyuck was joking.

“Little booger cut my birthday dinner short, yes she did!” Donghyuck cooed at the girl. She spat up on him later that evening, and Renjun was quick to say that he deserved it.

A few neighbors visited and dropped by some more food. This time, the couple hadn’t eagerly dug into it. They didn’t feel like risking their sodium intake on heavily salted (yet still bland?) food because some of the neighbors didn’t know of any spices. They still thanked them, just to be polite.

They did eagerly sink their teeth into the sweet treats Taeyong had brought over when he and his husband Doyoung dropped by. Jeno and Renjun temporarily let the other couple parent their daughter for a while as they demolished a box full of pastries. (“BABY. WEIGHT.” Renjun reminded himself in the mirror later that night when he saw how bloated his face was.)

Though exciting, socializing with so many people and raising a child had been exhausting. They finally said goodnight to their last couple of neighbors and shut the front door to their home. Their daughter had already been put down to sleep for the night. The home seemed quiet for the first time in weeks.

“We can eat the casserole Beth dropped off,” Jeno spoke. Renjun’s face scrunched up in disgust.

  
“I think I’ll actually vomit if I take one more bite of any casserole.” He replied, sighing softly as he wrapped his arms around Jeno’s waist. “Can’t we just order takeout? Or pizza? We’re parents. We can gain some weight. You’d still be hot with a dad-bod.”

Jeno laughed softly, his arms wrapping around Renjun’s narrow shoulders. Renjun pressed his cheek against his husband’s chest. “Let’s order pizza. Do you think if we ordered from that place on 65th they’ll give us a discount? You know how excited the owner’s wife was when everyone found out about the baby.”

Renjun grinned. “Every day you remind me that I married the right man.”

**Author's Note:**

> i made a twt for my fics :) @jiwisung


End file.
